GKV calls for swift relief for the industry

Photo Dr Helen Fürst

At its parliamentary evening event on 23 June 2026 in Berlin, the association called for urgent economic reforms.


The Gesamtverband Kunststoffverarbeitende Industrie (General Association of the Plastics Processing Industry, GKV) held discussions at the meeting at the German Parliamentary Society with Members of the Bundestag Julian Joswig, MdB (Alliance 90/The Greens), Dunja Kreiser, MP (SPD), Tilman Kuban, MP (CDU/CSU) and Dr Rita Weber, from the Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union (IG BCE), under the title “Germany: A Nation of Plastics – Can Reforms End the Prolonged Crisis?”, to discuss what measures could put the plastics industry back on a growth trajectory. According to a statement from the association, the discussion – which was at times contentious and moderated by journalist Anke Plättner – focused on the issues of greatest urgency to plastics processors: raw material and energy costs, bureaucracy, and the plastic levy proposed by the governing coalition.
 
GKV President Dr Helen Fürst called on politicians to act now and consistently ease the burden on the industry. This is because crises and economic shocks – most recently caused by the war in Iran – place an enormous strain on the German plastics industry. Many companies have their backs against the wall. According to Fürst, bureaucracy and regulation have become unmanageable for many firms.
 
Alongside the information on the Parliamentary Evening, the GKV has announced a complete change of leadership: Both President Dr Helen Fürst and Chief Executive Dr Oliver Möllenstädt are stepping down from their posts and were bid farewell by members at the GKV’s annual delegates’ meeting, which took place prior to the Parliamentary Evening. According to the statement, Dr Helen Fürst is stepping down from the association’s executive committee after her scheduled four-year term. The GKV’s long-serving Chief Executive, Dr Oliver Möllenstädt, will leave the GKV in July 2026 at his own request to take on new responsibilities within the association sector.
 
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